Access Church

Philippians 2:15-16 // Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. How do I live with uncommon generosity? For not From God is GENEROUS. Generosity is the heart of God. John 3:16 // For God so loved the world that He GAVE… Romans 8:32 // Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Matthew 8:11 // “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” James 1:17 // Every good and perfect gift is from above. Generosity is a MINDSET. Generosity is not about what I have. It is about how I think. Scarcity vs. Abundance Proverbs 11:24 MSG // The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. God is after your HEART. Luke 12:34 // For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 2 Corinthians 5:6-11 // Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. God loves a cheerful giver. Hilaros – joyous, won over, already inclined Decidedly, non-reluctantly happy The difference between acting generous and being generous is INTENTIONALITY. GOD must be first Proverbs 3:9-10 // Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. The TITHE must be first Exodus 23:19 // The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 // You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Genesis 4:3-5 // And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. 4 LEVELS OF GENEROSITY: Giving Tithing Offerings Extravagant Generosity It Must Be Blessed to MULTIPLY Malachi 3:10 // Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. We don’t GIVE to GET.

Genesis 37:5 // Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. Genesis 37:17b-20 // So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Genesis 37:23-24 // So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:28 // So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Genesis 50:20 // You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. When life is unfair, it is to my advantage to: Recognize God’s Presence Genesis 39:1-2 // Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Joshua 1:5 // No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. When life is unfair, it is to my advantage to: Move Forward Genesis 39:3-4 // When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. Don’t let the bad of a past season create bitterness in your current season. When life is unfair, it is to my advantage to: Embrace God’s Redirection Genesis 39:20-21 // Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him. As a follower of Jesus, even haters help make my purpose happen. When life is unfair, it is to my advantage to: Choose Forgiveness Genesis 50:15 // When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” Genesis 50:18-21 // His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” Unfair scenarios happen to the best of us, but they don’t have to get the best of us. Luke 23:34 // Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

We are a Spirit-Empowered church Acts 1:4-5, 8 // On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;and you will be my witnessesin Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,and to the ends of the earth.” Dunamis Acts 17:6 (NKJV) // These who have turned the world upside down have come here too… What is it? Cessationism Practical Cessationists We reject things we don’t understand. He is not an it. THE TRINITY: God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit THE TRINITY: God for us God with us God in us Ruach – a wind, breath, a violent exhalation, blast of breath. Genesis 1:1-2 // In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Pneuma – a current of air, blast of breath, a strong breeze. He’s not weird. He is my inner voice. John 16:8 // “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 // No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. He is my teacher. John 14:26 // “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 1 John 2:27 (NLT) // But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know... He is my guide. John 16:13 // “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” Isaiah 30:21 // Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” He is my friend. John 14:16 // “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” Parakletos 2 Corinthians 13:14 (MSG) // “The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.” Ephesians 4:30 (MSG) // Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. “Holy Spirit show me.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 // I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Psalm 139:23-24 // “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” “Holy Spirit change me.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NLT) // For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom... And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. "Holy Spirit fill me.” Ephesians 5:18 // “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Acts 13:52 (NASB) // And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t make me better than you, it makes me better than me.

Heaven Up there, down here Until Lakeland Looks Like Heaven Matthew 6:10 // Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. KINGDOM: A country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen Matthew 6:10 (KJV) // Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. KINGDOM: Wherever the will of a king is carried out Mark 6:1-6 // Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:5 // He could not do any miracles there… If we understand what RESTRAINS Jesus, we’ll understand what RESTRAINS us. We are… 1. High Honor HONOR: Valuable, Precious, Weighty such as gold DISHONOR: Devalue, to treat something valuable as common We want to be known for what we’re FOR not what we’re AGAINST We are… 1. High Honor 2. Hope Dealing “A record 78% didn’t think their children’s generation will live better than their own, up from 67% in 2019.” - WSJ/UChicago 1 Thessalonians 4:13 // Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. We are… 1. High Honor 2. Hope Dealing 3. Party Throwers Luke 15:7 // I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:10 // In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:22-24 // “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Prodigal: Wastefully Extravagant Until Lakeland Looks Like Heaven We are Access, and we are High Honor, Hope Dealing, Party Throwers!

DTR Wedding ring of Christianity Joshua 24:15 // But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Revelation 3:15-16 // I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 21:4-5 // ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 // Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB) // When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! How do we change?
Outside in or inside out. Do something different or be someone different. Improve the old you or become a new you. Hebrews 10:16-17 // “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Romans 6:4 // We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. www.access.tv/baptism

Luke 5:12-16 // While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Covered with leprosy No The prerequisite for a miracle is an impossible situation. A miracle is a divine intervention 1. Jesus is a Noticer 2 Corinthians 5:21 // God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2. Jesus is a Reacher Luke 5:14 // Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Gifts & Giver Jesus is Healer He can AND He will. Signs Christians should not become obsessed with the signs, but with the one to whom they point.

Matthew 8:1 // Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Jesus was led by the Spirit, not the crowds. Mark 4:36 // Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. Are you following Jesus? Salvation happens when we put our faith in Jesus. Real life change happens when we choose to follow Him. Matthew 16:24 // Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” “Until you have given up your self to Him, you will not have a real self.” C.S. Lewis Matthew 8:23 // Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. Christians aren’t exempt from the storms. They’re exempt from storms with no purpose. “Storms help to make the sailors sturdy, and trials make Christians strong in faith.” - Charles Spurgeon James 1:2-4 // Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Matthew 8:24 // Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. Matthew 8:25 // The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” John 14:27 // Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Spiritual maturity can be measured by how quickly you move from panic to peace. Faith is seeing from God’s perspective in the middle of the storm. Matthew 8:26 // Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. Little faith is where we start. It’s not where we stop. Matthew 8:27 // The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

You Us Future Us Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) // Where there is no vision, the people perish. Hebrew: châzôwn (khaw-zone’): A dream, revelation or vision for life Psalm 126:1-2 // When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Acts 2:17 // “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Proverbs 29:18 MSG // If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that really doesn’t matter.” ~D.L. Moody Everyone ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose. Know God 1 Peter 3:21 TLB // “In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ; not because our bodies are washed clean by the water but because in being baptized, we are turning to God and asking him to cleanse our hearts from sin.” Find Freedom Discover Purpose Psalm 139:13-16 // “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well… All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Make a Difference John 15:8,11 // Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Proverbs 11:25 (NLT) // “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

Luke 10:25-37 (NIV) // On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Embracing relationships with our heart and soul includes loving our neighbor. Who Is My Neighbor? Leviticus 19:18 // “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. The Answer: Our neighbor is anyone we encounter regardless of their race, beliefs, or actions. Do I Have To Love Them? Luke 10:27 // He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The Answer: Yes! We show our love for God by the way we love people. Loving our neighbor is reflective and responsive. How Do I Love My Neighbor? Luke 10:27 // He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The Answer: We should love our neighbor practically and sacrificially. Ephesians 5:29 (NLT) // No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. Our challenge: See a need, meet a need.

Marriage is the safest relationship on the earth when God’s laws for love are honored. Genesis 2:20-25 // So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The Four Laws of Love 1. The Law of Priority Genesis 2:24 // That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Exodus 34:14 // Do not worship any other god,for theLord, whose nameis Jealous, is a jealous God. 2. The Law of Pursuit Genesis 2:24 // That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 3. The Law of Partnership Genesis 2:24 // That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 (NKJV) // Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 4. The Law of Purity Genesis 2:25 // Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Purity paves the way to intimacy.